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Landscaping

Jan 29
0
stone lined manicured lawn

Cheap Landscape Curbing’s Biggest Enemies

By | Curbing, edging, Landscape Curbing, Landscape edging, Landscaping, Lawn Trimming | No Comments

We’ve all been there – its tempting to give into the cheap landscape curbing that’s calling your name. Its all curled up, so nice and tight, sitting on the shelf like a good little piece of coiled black plastic. Especially with it’s darling little price tag hanging from the shelf. It doesn’t want you to know that once you cut those zip ties, it just goes down from there. Once you manage to wrangle it into some sort of manageable form and get it lined up in your yard, there’s no guarantee that it will last. And that cute little price tag becomes a glaring realization that all of those pennies just went down the drain. Especially when it gets near one of it’s biggest enemies like:

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Aug 27
0
sandpit on a golfcourse

How to Make Your Lawn Look Like a Golf Course

By | Landscaping, Lawn Care, Lawn Mowing | No Comments

August is Golf Month, and with good reason: golf is fun, many business deals go down on the golf course, and golf courses are some of the lushest, most beautiful places in the world. We love golf at Olympic Lawn and Landscape, and we figured the best way to celebrate Golf Month is to give you some tips to make your lawn look like a golf course. Here they are:Your lawn can look just like a golf course with special care and the right tools.

Choose the Right Grass

Zoysiagrass or Bermudagrass are perfect for home lawns. They can withstand hot summer temperatures and also tolerate cold in the winter — which is perfect for our four seasons.

The Right Tools for the Job

A reel mower is the best type of mower for golf course quality turf. Reel mowers use reels and bed-knives to cut grass like a pair of scissors, unlike a rotary blade that cuts grass like a fan blade. Furthermore, installing a landscape weed barrier can keep unwanted vegetation from impeding on your beautiful grass.

The Biggest Mistake Is Cutting too Short

Keeping your lawn cut to 1 to 2 inches keeps the turf healthy and full. Don’t remove more than a third of the blades of grass when you mow. That way you aren’t taking too much of the leaf tissue off. Mowing your lawn at least once a week during the growing season ensures that you don’t kill the grass.

Too Much Water Is Bad for Your Lawn

Over-watering your lawn is easy to do — especially when you have an irrigation system. Watering deeply and infrequently as opposed to often and lightly is much better for your lawn. With less frequent watering, your grass has to search for water by growing its roots deeper creating a healthy root system.

Making your lawn look like a golf course may be easier than you think. Following the above tips is a great start. For more information on how you can create a lush, green lawn, call Olympic Lawn and Landscape at (816) 875-9296 today.

 

 

Jul 28
0
man mowing lawn

Low Maintenance Landscaping Tips

By | Garden, Landscaping, Lawn Maintenance | No Comments

For people who love to get out in the yard for a little landscaping therapy, tilling the ground, planting flowers, mowing or even weeding provides a sense of calm for the mind and some physical activity for the body. For those who don’t love yard work, or are too busy or otherwise unable to handle landscape maintenance chores, we’ve put together a list of tips to cut the time and energy you spend working on your lawn and landscaping. (Even those people who love a little yard work can benefit from these.)Mowing or cutting the long grass with a green lawn mower in the

How to Lower Your Lawn Maintenance Time and Energy

Arranging Plants and Other Materials

  • Use an edging material to keep your grass and plants growing where you want them to grow, and not where you don’t.
  • Use paving or stepping stones for walking paths. Your mailman or the pizza delivery guy won’t necessarily take the time and effort to tiptoe through your garden like a ballerina.
  • Add a 2-3″ layer of mulch to control weeds and reduce watering.

Preparing Your Planting Beds

  • Be sure to address any drainage or erosion issues before planting.
  • Remove or kill weeds and grass before you plant.
  • While tilling the soil may not be completely necessary, few plants will grow under compacted soil.

Proper Plant Selection

  • Use plants that grow to the size you want them to at maturation. Doing so will eliminate the need for constant sheering.
  • Consider using trees that don’t drop fruit and also have small leaves so you don’t have to clean up after them all the time.
  • Reduce the number of annual plants needed. By reducing annuals, you eliminate the need for re-planting every year.

Always Be Prepared

The number one tip for reducing landscaping maintenance we can give is to have a plan. Whether your plan is a professional one or something you come up with on your own, you can eliminate redundant work. By setting a proper sequence you’ll avoid problems in the future.

Olympic Lawn and Landscaping is proud to offer quality lawn and landscaping services to the Kansas City area. For more information about reducing the time you spend doing yard work, or for help with a professional plan of action, call us at (816) 875-9296 today.

Apr 27
0
push mower mowing lawn

The Right Way to Mow Your Lawn

By | Landscaping, Lawn Care, Lawn Mowing | No Comments

A beautiful lawn never happens by accident. Mowing is one of the most critical factors to having healthy, thriving turf. Unfortunately, most homeowners don’t know that there are tried-and-true techniques to lawn mowing that can help make your grass the greenest in your neighborhood. Of course, we recommend that you hire us for all of your mowing and grass maintenance needs. However, if you are determined to do it yourself, here are some useful lawn mowing hints.Young man - only legs to be seen - is mowing the lawn in summer

Mow Frequently

Most people don’t enjoy mowing. In fact, lawn mowing is generally regarded as a disagreeable chore, so why would you want to do it more often? Science has shown that healthier grass can be achieved through more frequent mowing in which no more than one third of the height is trimmed away. This makes it easier for the blades to continue to photosynthesize. Lawn mowing should happen at least once a week and mowing once every four or five days is ideal.

Make a New Pattern

There is no benefit to mowing your turf in the same pattern week after week. The condition of your grass may improve if you try lawn mowing in a different pattern each time. This minimizes soil compaction and ensures that the grass blades don’t get worn out from repetitive mowing.

Let Clippings Lie

Conventional lawn mowing wisdom might suggest bagging those clippings, but think twice before you do so. Clippings actually act like fertilizer when left on the lawn, redistributing essential nutrients. If clumps or rows of clippings appear, use a rake to spread them around.

Sharpening Mower Blades

A sharp blade makes a cleaner, more efficient cut. That’s better for the health of the grass and also makes getting the lawn mowing done much quicker.

Consider Hiring a Professional

Lawn mowing and maintenance truly is an art. If you want the best looking yard in your neighborhood, you might benefit from hiring a professional to do the heavy lifting.

Ready to learn about our expert lawn mowing services? Call (816) 875-9296 or contact an Expert.

Oct 21
0

4 Useful Autumn Landscaping Tips

By | Landscaping | No Comments

Spring and summer aren’t the only seasons for landscaping projects. Fall is a wonderful time for landscaping. Some projects get your yard ready for winter. Others make getting set for spring easier than ever. Either way, you’ll be glad you spent some time getting your landscaping in shape.

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Jan 01
0

Avoid Soil Erosion Caused by Heavy Rains

By | Landscaping, Lawn Care, Summer Lawncare Tips | No Comments

mulchSoil erosion is common during harsh weather conditions, such as heavy rains and hard winds. Thankfully, there are several ways to prevent your topsoil from being eroded.

 

What is soil erosion?

Soil erosion occurs when soil is removed and transported to other locations. This can be a major problem if you have landscaping such as plant beds or a garden. Here are some ways to protect your planting and prevent soil erosion:

 

Retaining Walls

Constructing a retaining wall made of brick or stones will minimize water runoff. This will help minimize or eliminate the amount of soil being carried away with groundwater runoff. Retaining walls don’t have to be extreme, but be sure they are firmly in place. If you don’t have a place for a retaining wall near your plantings, landscape edging can have a similar effect.

 

Apply Mulch

Another way to help prevent topsoil from being washed or blown away is to apply mulch. Apply a layer on top of the soil to help soak up water and protect against rain impact.

 

Create Windbreaks

Create natural wind barriers by planting rows of trees or shrubs. Evergreen trees or large bushes around the windward exposure area will help prevent erosion in those areas. This option is particularly helpful if soil often blows across your land.

 

Use Geotextiles

Geotextiles are fabrics that can be used to protect your topsoil. This is an effective method because it will stabilize the soil without disturbing any growing vegetation. Use this method to help prevent sloped areas of your land from storm damage.

 

Add Plantings

Planting vegetation, shrubs and trees will help keep the soil in place. The roots in particular will establish a system that stabilizes the soil and prevents erosion. Planting vegetation is the most natural way to prevent soil erosion.


For more information about how to protect your landscape, contact Olympic Lawn & Landscape today.

Jan 01
0

The Hidden Savings of Landscaping Edging

By | edging, flower beds, Landscape edging, Landscaping | No Comments

Not only does landscape edging provide a polished and sophisticated look, but it also comes with several hidden savings as well! By using landscaping edging around your trees, walkways, flower beds, gardens and more – not only will your yard stand out, but you’ll be finding hidden savings along the way!

Landscaping Edging Saves you Money

By using well-made curbing materials to edge your flower beds and landscaping projects, rock and mulch will stay-put. Without a sturdy material separating the beds from the grass, costly filler materials will often get lost in the grass, or worn down, and need to be replaced. By using landscaping edging, your rock and/or mulch stays put, and saves you money from having to replace it year after year.

Landscaping Edging Saves your Back

If you ever meet someone who LIKES pulling weeds, run. They are crazy! Weeding is not always the most fun job, and especially when weeds have crawled into the flower and garden beds. It’s often hard on your back, knees, and other achy joints. By using custom curbing for landscape edging, you’ll create a strong barrier that will kill the roots of weeds and other invaders that try to get into your beautiful plant beds, preventing you from the hard manual labor of weeding your flower beds.

Landscaping Edging Saves your Soil

The barrier created by landscaping edging will also save your soil. As it snows and rains, moisture will collect and stay in the soil thanks to the strong wall created by stone edging. Edging will irrigate the flowers and plants that are growing, thus improving the health of your soil, and requiring less watering.

Jan 01
0

Avoid these 3 Summer Lawn Diseases

By | Landscaping, Lawn Care, Lawn Maintenance | 2 Comments

lawn diseaseThis time of year is prime for lawn diseases to take over your beautiful landscape. Here are 3 common lawn diseases and how to rid them:

 

Dollar Spot

Dollar spot is a lawn disease caused by fungal pathogens and causes your lawn to spot in clusters. While it doesn’t affect the roots of the grass, it certainly causes an unattractive browning on the tissues of the grass.

This disease typically occurs in early summer and can be identified by round, tan spots in clusters in the lawn. The cause comes from extended dew periods that helps mycelial grow and become more active. This disease can then be spread by infected blades while mowing your lawn or doing other types of lawn care.

In order to avoid Dollar Spot disease in your lawn, water your lawn early in the morning so you’re not contributing to longer dew periods. You also want to keep your soil rich in nitrogen by applying fertilizer regularly during mid-summer.

Lawn Rust

Lawn rust is also caused by a lack of nitrogen in the soil and typically occurs during late summer or early fall. This can be identified by an over all yellow or brown color in your lawn and gives off a dusty, rust residue.

A lack of nitrogen in the soil can occur when your lawn hasn’t been watered deeply or frequently enough. It can also occur if you’re cutting your lawn too short.

To rid or avoid lawn rust, mow less often or with a higher blade height. Also be sure to mow your lawn weekly with about an inch of water.

Powdery Mildew

Powdering mildew typically occurs in the shady areas of your lawn and can occur all season long. Powdery mildew is easy to detect because of its powdery look that creates a felt-like surface on blades of grass.

This disease thrives on cool temperatures and low sunlight, hence its location in the shady areas of your lawn.

To solve this lawn issue, prune your trees and try to minimize their coverage of your grass. If it’s not possible to control the shade in your lawn, chemical control techniques may be necessary to eliminate powdery mildew and prevent it from returning.

 

For more information on keeping your lawn healthy this season, call Olympic Lawn & Landscape today!

 

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